One of the most important things for the Supergirl cast and crew was that they make a show that was entertaining and balanced. It isn't a show about a female superhero, its a superhero show and the hero happens to be female. Greg Berlanti has said several times that they are trying to tell a compelling story that happens to have superpowers in it. You could take away the super powers and the show would still have great substance. Well in a recent article with USA Today, it looks like Supergirl has succeeded!
The latest comics-inspired TV series has an audience that's nearly evenly split between men and women. That's a rarity in the male-dominated superhero genre. By contrast, 60% of the adult TV audience for CW's The Flash is male, as are 57% of viewers for Fox's Gotham, which airs opposite Supergirl (Mondays, 8 p.m. ET/PT).
The article continues interviewing Brad Adgate, analyst at ad firm Horizon Media.
There is such a limited supply of female superheroes, it would be very appealing for women to watch. A show that can attract both genders, a dual audience, bodes well for its success.
Supergirl herself may be 24, but Supergirl also attracts the oldest audience among costumed crime-fighters, with a median age of 56, compared to 41.9 for The Flash and about 47 for Gotham and ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That's likely a function of the show's home on senior-friendly CBS, where it's the youngest-skewing and most evenly gender-split drama. (About 54% of prime-time TV watchers are women.)
Finally, here is the break down of all the superhero shows based on male/female viewership. Of course looks who's number 1! Considering that Supergirl has the largest audience among all the Superhero shows this balance is even more impressive!
| Show (Network) | % male | % female | Median Age |
| Supergirl (CBS) | 51 | 49 | 56.0 |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) | 53 | 47 | 46.9 |
| Gotham (FOX) | 57 | 43 | 47.2 |
| Arrow (CW) | 58 | 42 | 42.9 |
| The Flash (CW) | 60 | 40 | 41.9 |
Fun fact, Supergirl has more viewers than any other two DC comics TV shows. It's pretty obvious that Supergirl is crushing it. While large audiences are good, targeted audiences are what lead to success. Since Supegirl's creators were targeting a balanced approach, it really doesn't get any closer to perfect than this! Set those fears aside and continue to watch live and we'll have our back order 9 and second season commitment in no time!
Just one day until Reactron appears! Are you ready? Did the demographic numbers surprise you? Share your thoughts with us below and in the forum! See you tomorrow for our live tweet of the show too!
